EVERYTHING you need to know NOW about the latest dangerous disease to plague Southern United States

Chagas disease, normally found in endemic areas of Latin America, has been transported to Americans via 'kissing bugs' imported from South America.

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially deadly disease found in 21 Latin American countries and can be transmitted by humans coming into contact with the feces of triatomine, or "kissing" bugs. Unfortunately, triatomine bugs have begun to spread Chagas in America's southern states.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Chagas disease is "endemic throughout much of Mexico, Central America, and South America where an estimated 8 million people are infected."

The website specifies that Chagas disease can be spread by the triatomine, or "kissing" bugs, mothers to their babies (congenitally), blood transfusions involving contaminated blood, organ transplants from an infected donor, laboratory accidents and contaminated foods and drinks. 

The National School for Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine released a fact sheet on the disease and estimated 300,000 cases of the illness have been spread throughout the United States, with the majority of the cases being in Texas.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary according to age and whether a person has been infected before, but there are generally two phases of the disease - acute and chronic.

The acute phase is usually symptom-free and sometimes exhibits mild symptoms that can be associated to other illnesses such as fevers, fatigue, aches, headaches, rashes, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting.

If physically examined, small enlargements of the liver or spleen, swollen glands and local swelling can be found. The most recognized Chagas marker is the Romańa's sign, which is the swelling of the eyelids near the bite or where the feces were accidentally rubbed into the eye.

The chronic phase includes a period where no symptoms occur at all -sometimes for decades or for life, but some people have developed cardiac complications that can include heart failure, altered heart rate or rhythm, cardiac arrest, or an enlarged heart.

Another chronic symptom is intestinal issues, such as an enlarged esophagus or colon, which can cause problems when eating or defecating.

About Chagas

The list provided by the National School for Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine is as follows:

• Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a serious infection caused by a parasitic microorganism, Trypanosoma cruzi, and is transmitted by kissing bugs.  
• Chagas disease is a leading cause of heart disease resulting in a debilitating and often fatal condition known as Chagasic cardiomyopathy. One in six people with Chagasic cardiomyopathy will die within five years. 

• An estimated 9 million people are infected in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in impoverished areas. According to the World Health Organization, the largest number of people living with Chagas disease are in poor areas of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, while Bolivia has the highest prevalence (percentage of people infected). 
• The infection can be passed from mother to baby. There are an estimated 40,000 pregnant women in North America alone who have Chagas, and they will transmit the infection to their babies around 5 percent of the time.
• The CDC estimates that 300,000 cases occur in the United States, mostly imported from Latin America.
• Scientists at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, including Drs. Kristy Murray and Melissa Nolan Garcia, have uncovered a previously unrecognized level of transmission in the state of Texas.  
• A high percentage of the kissing bugs in Texas are infected with the trypanosome parasite and show evidence of feeding on human blood. 
• Dogs also can be infected.
• Researchers are finding cases among hunters and campers as well as people who live in poverty in Texas. Those with extended outdoor exposure appear to have the greatest risk of acquiring the disease.  
• Repeat exposures are likely necessary to acquire infection.

• Drug treatments are available, but they do not always work and are highly toxic. In collaboration with the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, the National School of Tropical Medicine is developing a new therapeutic vaccine for Chagas disease.

The CDC recommends anyone who has been diagnosed with Chagas disease should have immediate family members tested for infection and should follow their doctor's orders.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online